Steering-gear for traction-engines.



D. H. RANDALL & C. C. WHITGOMB.

STEERING GEAR FOR. TRACTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1908.

Patented Apr. 13, l1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEETL W/TNESSES D. H. RANDALL & C. C. WHITCOMB. STEERING GEAR PoR TRAGTION BNGINESI APPLICATION ILED APR. 22. 1908.

, Naeiases.

entran erlernte rirrnnr onirica.

y IDANIELH. RANDALLV AND CHARLES C. WHITGOMB, OF @00h` RAPIDS, IO\\' A.

STEERING-GE AR FOR TRACTION-ENGINES.

Application filed pri122, 1'908. Serial No. 428,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL H. RAN- DALL and CHARLES C. VHrrcoMn, citizens 'i of the United States, and residentsof Coon Rapids, in the county of Carroll and State of Iowa, have made certain new and useful improvements in Steering-Gear for Traction-Ithigines, Sto., of which the following` isawspecication. y

` in' inventionis in the nature of a steering' ,gearv designed more particularly `for tractiog engines and inotor vehicles, butapplicabl'e also to other uses. Insuch vehicles theusual method of steering is by a de- Ilection of the front axle in a horizontal plane aboutits 'vertical kingbolt and it has been' common heretofore to elfect this deflectiontby the motor mechanism of a steam piston acting through a chain passing around pullleys to the opposite ends of said front ax e.

Dur-invention belongs to this type of steering gear and consists inthe novel coni so struction and arrangement of parts whereby the axle is given its `prop er deflection and is sectionA onthe line3 --3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. Y L,tis a vertical transverse section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, Fig. l, y represents the front axle and m the vertical pivot by which the front end ofthe. traction engine is mounted'upon said front axle. Forthe pur posesfofsteering, this A,front axle isgiven a deflection-in a. horizontal plane by a pull upon the chain' l going to one end ofthe I axle vor uponthe'f chain t going to the other I end-"of the axle. .l/Vhena pull is exerted l""upon the endl of the chain'to give a deec- -as shown' byv the arrows in'Fig. 1a.-

Ation to the axle, thend et of the chaingoing -to the other end of the axle is paid out The chain 1 is.V wound around a drum S in one @direction and the 'chain 4 is .wound around theeother end ofthe drum S in the op` Y posite direction and rigidly connected t0` Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in Patented April 18, 190,9.

this drinn at an intermediate point is .a sprocket wheel C. This sprocket wheel b is connected by an endless sprocket chain 2, 1, to a sprocket lwheel L. By rotating the sprocket wheel L in ,opposite directions it will be seen that the sprocket wheel S, and consequently its drinn bv, S, will be turned 'so as to alternately take up one chain and pay out the other, and vice versa.

l'Ve will now proceed to describe the means by which motion is imparted to the sprocket wheel L for controlling the n1ovenient of the steering chains. f

The sprocket wheel L is rigid with two gear wheels K, K, arranged on` opposite sides of the saine as seen in Fig. 'et and the .rigid hanger J, and at the other end to the steam cylinder.

Gr'is AVa cross head which is guided upon the lower rods a, ai, and is bolted to the rack bars il, H. This cross head is attached to the piston rod F, which enters the cylin! der A and is connected to and reciprocated by the'piston E. As this cross head is recip- `rocated its rack bars H engaging the gear wheels K, give a rotary -motion to the sprocket wheel L and 'thereby turn the endless chain 2-3, as shown in Fig. Il. so as'to give it a movement in either direction.

D is an ordinary D-valve arranged within a steam chest B and adapted to alternately admit and'exhaust steam from opposite ends of the cylinder in the usual well known inanner. /Vhen the port b is uncovered by the valve to admitsteam totheleft hand side of the piston, the ports b2 and barec'onnected together by the valve to allow the escape of steam from the'right hand side'A of the piston and vice versa. When, however, the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 2, both of the induction ports b and b2 are coveredand blanked. The valve D is reciprocated `by -nieans of a valve' rod cl connectedto the lower slotted end of a lever M, which in turn is connected by a rod N to an elbow lethe opening' Ir into kthe steam chest and the ver O arranged iii cenvenieiit position fer access at the rear end of the engine. iy means of this hand lever if), the valve is adjusted to any desired position. It easily seen that by the. devices described, motion may be imparted through f the piston and the chain to eiect a deiiectionl oi' the front axle in either direction. it is necessary, however, after making an adjustment, to hold this adjustment positively' g against any creeping or variation due to the leakage of steam in the cylinder, and When l in straight ruiming the front axleis adjusted at right angles to the line ot' draift,it is also necessary to so lock the running gear that the axle -Will not be accidentally detiected by the striking ot one of its Wlieels'i against a. rock or other obstruction in the i road-Way. To. provide means for meeting these conditions, We have arranged in the steam chest a supplemental valve casing it, through ivliicli passes the valve rod d and -Within the valve casing the rod d is enlarged at c and is provided with a transversegroove c. On one side of the valve easing It is formed an 'opening i' and on the othenside there are -tivo passageways into which are tapped two pipes P, P', which extend to the opposite ends of the steam cylinder, lVlien the piston E of the steering gear has -been moved to the desired position by the adjustment of the valve D, after this position has been reached, the' valve D is thrown by its handle lever to the blanked position shown in Figfi, which cuts oi': steam from both of the induction ports b, b, and this same movement brings the i groove e ot the valve e intov aliiiemeiit with ports connecting with pipes P, P on the opposite side. This allows live steam to pass from the steam chest through the pipes P, t P tothe opposite ends of the cylinder and i thus, by a positive pressure on both sides of i .the pisten, holds the i siiion.

same to its adjusted poli'e clainil.. 'ine combination With a steering gear and a steam piston andvalve for operating it; ot' a supplementary valve connected to 5G and operated by the inaiii valve rod, said supplementary valve being arranged to open live steam. c oii-imunication to both ends oi' the steam cylinder When the main steam ports are blanked.

2. The combination with 'steering gear and a steam cylinder, piston, steam chest and valve; ot a supplementary valve casing arranged Within the'steam chest and having acommunicating opening with the same, a valve rod for operating the main valve having an enlarged portion extending througli/ the supplementary valve casing and formed with a transverse groove adapted to registearv `ivitli the inlet to the supplementary casingl and balancing pipes communicating with the supplementary casing and also with the opposite ends of the steam cylinder.

3. A steering gear comprising a steam cylinder, a steam piston and a main valve for operating it, a pivoted axle, means driven vby said piston for turning said axle on its pivot, and a supplementary valve communieating with vsaid cylinder and arranged to admit live steam at each end thereofl for maintaining the piston in position and thereby loclting the steering mechanism. li. A' steering gear comprising a pivoted axle, means for turning said axle, a steam cylinder and piston for operating said turning means, and means for admitting live steam on both sides of the piston tor locking said axle in any position.

DANIEL H.- RANDALL. CHARLES C. NHITCOMP. lVitnesses MYRON 'PULvEin Giio. D. Soo'rr.

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